Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Today in class we had the opportunity to skype into a grade 3 class in Thompson, Manitoba and read them the book Mortimer. I remember when I was a kid, waiting anxiously for that time before bed where my mom would read me classics like Robert Munsch. Now that I am 18 it is a weird to think back to the days where I was the anxious listener waiting to see the outcome of the conflicts Robert Munsch made so famous. Robert Munsch created memories that will be forever apart of my childhood and the opportunity to share my love for his books was a great experience. I've always been one that believes we can connect with people beyond our own personal social bubble to create memories and experience. This skype reading session was a great example of that belief in practice. I hope I get to continue to use technology as a way to connect with people on a unique basis outside of the norm of society.

Thursday, 20 February 2014

As young child I can remember being told "don't fret the small things." The small things are always overpassed, the small things are always insignificant, yet the small things are what can extract the greatest beauty from life. Something as simple as waking up in the morning and seeing the fresh snow fall laying its ground on the trees can create such beauty that not even the greatest struggles in life can hide its presence. Sometimes in life I find we get caught up in the big picture so much so that we forget to pause and enjoy life's little moments surrounding us. Stress, emotion, and chaos are apart of our daily life, but what if we put that on hold for just a moment to admire the beauty that is before us. Last winter when I was on a band trip to Cuba it was easy to get caught up in the elements around you, the music, the people, the excitement. None of those things I mentioned were bad, yet they took away from sitting back and enjoying the beauty. Stepping back for a second you realize the awe that comes with staring out into the vast ocean, or looking down the beach and seeing a perfect sunset. The ocean was never not there, and the sun never ceased to rise, instead it was me who failed to acknowledge the beauty in the small things I took for granted. Don't take life's beautiful moments for granted, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Our world is broken. Our world is flawed. Today we live on a planet that is backwards and inside out, that has a deal of darkness trying to disguise the glimpse of hope. We live in a world where 27 million people are forced to be slaves. 27 million women, children, and families are forced to put their lives on hold to sell themselves into slavery in order to survive. We live in a world where 780 million people don't have access to clean drinking water. Everyday those 780 million people walk hours to obtain dirty, polluted water which they consume and are now held captive to disease and illness. 3.5 million of those people will not live to see 2015. We live in a world where every 60 seconds a child dies due to a preventable disease. Every minute a child is lost because of the dark world we live in. Every 60 seconds another loss could have been prevented. We live in a world where over 120 million children are denied a right to education. 120 million children are not fortunate enough to learn to read, and write simply because of where they were born. We live in a broken, dark world. Our earth is not just what is in our horizon. Look beyond your day to day life, look beyond what is visible to you. We live in a broken, dark world, what are you going to do about it?

When looking at the doors to choose, there is no doubt in my mind I would enter Narnia. The vast land of good and bad, the mystery which lies behind the doors that lay before you. Narnia represents hope, and possibility. Narnia is the escape from the broken world we live in. The opportunity for a fresh start and to forget the troubles back in the chaos of my life are avaliable by opening the door to Narnia. The beauty of Narnia is not held just within the vast landscape but within the creatures that inhabit it. When I stepped through those doors I would long to get a glimpse of the face of Asland. Asland in the land of Narnia represents hope, and redemption. My longing for peace, and desire for change lies behind the doors of Narnia. Narnia is a place of redemption.

Monday, 17 February 2014

I thought it would be beneficial to explain the meaning behind the name of my blog. Beauty in the Brokenness is a short and accurate world view of mine. Throughout my life as a young person I have been exposed to the beauties of this world. Although this world is full of beauty it is all within the context of brokenness. We live in a broken and corrupt world, but yet beauty does not cease to exist. In my life I have seen children struggle to get an education, women walk miles for clean water, and families in my own backyard struggle to provide for their basic needs. In the chaos of that hurt and brokenness it's hard to ignore the beauty. The beauty of kids being kids even in extreme poverty, or looking out on the African savannah and seeing the breathe taking view of the sunrise. Our world is broken, but don't stop trying to see the beauty. Even beauty can outshine brokenness.

This is my digital footprint. I modelled my digital footprint a lot around words and how my words and name is represented online. I chose to use more words rather than pictures because I feel like words have power and are a blunt representation of my presence online.

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Hello everyone! I thought I would share something that's been a large part of my life for the last few years. When I was in grade 9 I started something called the Love, Praise, Serve Project, the objective of this project was to raise enough money to free one young women in India from the sex trade. I spent my summer writing and recording music, putting together a CD to sell in the fall to raise the $1000 I needed. This song is called Fire, and was the first song written for the Love, Praise, Serve Project. The lyrics of this song represent the influence youth have in this world, and how being the change is as simple as stand up for what is right. Enjoy Fire, and hope to share more about the Love, Praise, Serve Project in the future!

I am Micayla McNaughtan. If you asked me what I loved I would tell you Jesus, music, and human rights. Those things are the three things that keep me going in life, and drive me beyond all other measures. My desire to change the world is strong and my passion to step outside the boundaries of society is evident. Throughout this blog you will get a glimpse of my life and my goals for the future. I hope you enjoy Beauty in the Brokenness, and see a little bit deeper into my life.